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Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Pimp My Turntable Baby!

Alright, fine. I'm keeping the turntable.

I was planning to get rid of my current turntable, the Pro-Ject Debut III, in favor of something higher up the food chain. Pro-Ject's RM5 was the big contender, since Needle Doctor has been selling them at a clearance price of $500. That's a pretty good steal for a mid-level table. Too bad I can't afford to spend the cash. Well, I could, but that would be a bit reckless and leave me nearly broke the day I get my paycheck.

So I've decided to suck it in and stick with the current table. I've had a love-hate relationship with the Debut III. Hopefully some upgrades will improve things. In any case, I can't stand to wait another day listening to it as is.

First thing to change is the phono cartridge. The Debut III us packed with an Ortofon OM-5E cart, which is a chincy little thing, not a lot of fun, and had a nasty habit of bouncing all over my records until it was broken in. Good lord, no wonder they gave it away.

Second thing to change is that platter. Which happens to be made of steel. Great. A metal platter. Just perfect for a turntable, when needle cartridges use magnets. Another smart move by the cheapskates in charge.

I hope this will improve the sound a lot, but I don't know. This is my first cart upgrade, so I'll find out if the audiophiles are talking out of their ears, or if these things really do deliver monster sounds. More to come tomorrow.....